2006 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor - Congo, Republic of

United States Department of Labor, 2006 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor - Congo, Republic of, 31 August 2007, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/48d7492c1a.html [accessed 31 March 2015]

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Children work with their families on farms or in informal business activities.1122 In Brazzaville and other urban centers, there are significant numbers of street children, primarily from the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo, who engage in street vending and begging. There were isolated cases of children involved in commercial sexual exploitation.1123 There are unconfirmed accounts of trafficking into the Republic of Congo of "minor relatives" of immigrants from West Africa.1124 Children from West Africa reportedly work as domestic servants, fishermen, shop workers, and street sellers.1125

Although reports of violence in the Pool region have continued since the country's civil conflict formally ended in 2003, it is unclear whether children have continued to be involved as child soldiers in the region.1126

Child Labor Laws and Enforcement

The law sets the minimum age for employment, including apprenticeships, at 16 years. Exceptions may be permitted by the Ministry of Education after an inspection of the place of employment.1127 The law prohibits forced or compulsory labor; however, there are exceptions for military service and other civic duties.1128 The minimum age of enlistment for service in the armed forces in the Republic of Congo is 18 years.1129

The law criminalizes procuring a person for the purpose of prostitution. Furthermore, it establishes a penalty of 10 years of imprisonment if such an act is committed with respect to a minor, defined as a person less than 15 years of age.1130 While the law does not specifically prohibit trafficking in persons, traffickers can be prosecuted for child abuse, forced labor, illegal immigration, prostitution, rape, extortion, and slavery under existing laws.1131 There were no reports that the government prosecuted any traffickers under these laws.1132

The Ministry of Labor is responsible for enforcing child labor laws and monitors businesses in the formal sector; however, because of resource constraints, in total only two inspection trips were made during the year.1133 According to the U.S. Department of State, child labor continues to occur in the informal sector and in rural areas that lack effective government oversight.1134

Current Government Policies and Programs to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor

In response to the recruitment of child soldiers during the civil conflict that formally ended in 2003, the Government of the Republic of Congo participated in a global USD 7 million USDOL-funded project implemented by ILO-IPEC to prevent the involvement of children in armed conflict and support the rehabilitation of former child soldiers.1135 The project targets a total of 5,264 children for withdrawal and 4,250 children for prevention from involvement with armed groups in seven countries, including the Republic of Congo.1136

The Government's National Program for Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (PNDDR) became effective in August 2006.1137 The program includes a component to offer financial support and technical training to former child soldiers.1138

1115 U.S. Department of State, "Republic of Congo," in Country Reports on Human Rights Practices – 2006, Washington, DC, March 6, 2007, Section 5; available from http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78729.htm.

1138 World Bank, Technical Annex for a Program of USD 17 Million from the MDRP Multi-Donor Trust Fund to the Republic of Congo for an Emergency Reintegration Program, World Bank, December 14, 2005, 7, 18-9; available from http://www.mdrp.org/PDFs/Country_PDFs/ROC-MDRP-TechAnnex_0506.pdf. See also Integrated Regional Information Networks, "Congo: Interview with Madeleine Yila Bompoto, coordinator of efforts to reintegrate ex-child soldiers".